Escape from New York: Escape from Chicago #1: “The Name’s Plissken!”

Overview

Writer: Kyle Higgins

Artist: Val Rodrigues

Colorist: Natalia Marques

Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry

Cover Artist: Stephen Mooney

Escape from New York: Escape from Chicago #1 drops Snake Plissken into a frozen, fractured America where survival has become a business and trust is still the most dangerous commodity. Set in 2006, the issue finds Snake operating as a smuggler for people trying to cross the dead zones between America’s prison-states. His latest job reunites him with Maya Torres, the daughter of people whose past is tied to Snake’s own – and the job quickly becomes more personal than either of them wants.

Writing

Kyle Higgins understands that Snake works best when he is treated less like a spotless action hero and more like a weary, stubborn survivor. The issue gives him plenty of hard-edged dialogue and gunfire, but it also lets the tension come from Maya’s distrust and Snake’s reluctance to confront old failures. Their friction gives the book an emotional center beneath its post-apocalyptic action.

Art

Val Rodrigues delivers a gritty, textured Chicago that feels genuinely hostile. The snow-covered ruins, armed patrols, and crumbling interiors make the setting feel lived in rather than simply familiar dystopian scenery. Natalia Marques’ restrained cold palette is especially effective, with sudden bursts of red and orange making the violence and danger hit harder. The visual style feels appropriately rough, cinematic, and rooted in the world John Carpenter created.

The first issue moves fast, but it still finds room to establish the central mystery and leave Snake facing a threat with real personal stakes. Escape from New York: Escape from Chicago #1 is a strong continuation of the franchise: bleak, violent, and driven by a Snake Plissken who remains compelling precisely because he would rather keep moving than become anyone’s hero.

Overall Grade

9/10